Jigar Shah

Member of the NYSERDA Board
Appointed 6/17/2014

Work History

Jigar Shah is an entrepreneur and author of Creating Climate Wealth: Unlocking The Impact Economy (2003). He is committed to leveraging the next economy by solving the challenging issues of our time. He has noted that creating climate wealth is driven by unlocking a global "impact economy" in which mainstream investors team up with corporations, entrepreneurs, and governments to solve big environmental and social problems while generating compelling financial returns.

In 2003, he founded SunEdison, a leading solar services company, which simplified solar as a service through the implementation of the power purchase agreement (PPA) business model. That model changed the status quo, enabling pay-as-you-go solar and catapulting solar into a multi-billion dollar global industry. Today, it is one of the standard business models used in commercial and residential solar.

From 2009 to 2012, Mr. Shah served as the first CEO of the Carbon War Room, the global organization founded by Richard Branson and Virgin Unite to help save the world from climate change. During his tenure, Mr. Shah was a trailblazer in helping build the organization into one of global importance.

Today, as CEO of Jigar Shah Consulting, he works closely with some of the world’s leading influencers and guides policymakers around the globe on key issues to implement solutions for climate change and sustainability and unlock that next trillion dollar impact economy.

Nonprofit Boards

Mr. Shah sits on the board of the Carbon War Room.

Education

Mr. Shah holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland.